Arthur G. Wavell to Stephen F. Austin, 05-22-1823

Summary: Speculations in London awaiting confirmation of Austin's grant.

As I have so constantly informed you in my former letters the very
moment you forwarded to me the document confirming your grant I
could effect the contract you desired not having yet received it I am
unable to embrace until your answer arrives a proposal made me by
one of the largest and richest houses in this City to furnish 20,000 £
(say 100,000 Dollars) for one half the concern on the conditions
pro-posed in the contract you gave me consequently the very moment
you receive this send me the Law or other Document substantiating
your claim together with a regularly legalized Document for
forming a Company on those conditions all regularly authenticated and
include your own name leaving blanks for four others which I shall
insert here, to avoid any misconception you and I retain half the
concern the Company advances 20 thousand Pounds of which goods
to the amount of 10,000 £ will be shipped off the very moment I
receive the Documents and the remaining 10,000 £ as soon as you wish
afterwards The land and cash to form one joint concern for the
benefit of the whole Company in the proportion of half for us two
the remainder for the other partners They are immensely rich and
will spare neither expense nor trouble to advance your views cash
to any amount will be forthcoming if requisite and it can be
advantageously employed—An agent to reside with you in Texas will
accompany the goods write me most fully and forward a map of
the Province in short every Paper which can be of any importance
relative to the concern by which we will ere long realize immense
fortunes

I now write you by way of Veracruz New York and New Orleans
in order that no time may be lost. If you did not receive everything
you desired three months after my arrival in this Country you must
blame only yourself for neglecting to write and forward to me the
requisite Papers by every conveyance—Write to me now via New
Orleans and New York as the most safe, and expeditious mode I
have only recd one letter from you since my arrival in England and
that dated Mexico 22nd August 1822 Add whatever land you have
obtained for me to the general stock of the Company My other
affair goes on well and I trust I shall ere long be enabled to convey
to you agreeable intelligence on that score also.